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Grounded in safety: the real backbone of any electrical installation W hile smart technologies and sleek fittings often steal the spotlight in modern electrical systems, it’s the
Equally important are the accessories – lugs, glands, saddles, ties, and sleeves. These small components are often left until last, but using the wrong product can compromise the entire installation. A professional finish doesn’t end at the distribution board or the faceplate. It’s the tidy cable runs, the correctly sized lugs, and the well-earthed surge protection that reflect a job done properly. In the end, good electrical work is about more than just getting the power on. It’s about keeping it on – safely, efficiently, and reliably. And that all begins with what’s happening behind the scenes.
an afterthought. A direct or indirect lightning strike can send a surge powerful enough to fry appliances, damage infrastructure, and bring operations to a standstill. Proper surge protection devices (SPDs), installed at the right points in the system, act as gatekeepers. They absorb and redirect these harmful spikes. When paired with a solid earthing system, they provide a strong line of defence against the unpredictable. Moving on to cables – the veins and arteries of any electrical setup. High- quality cable is about more than copper and insulation. It’s about long-term performance, fire resistance, ease of installation, and the confidence that what’s behind the walls is just as solid as what’s in plain sight. consolidate real-time consumption, EPC ratings, portfolio-wide benchmarks, and performance deviations. Decision-makers will use these platforms to prioritise interventions and allocate budgets more effectively. The 7 December deadline A key message emerging from the national discourse is that the mandatory compliance deadline will not be extended. The DEE has reaffirmed that building owners, accounting officers, and organs of state will be held accountable for ensuring EPCs are obtained for all applicable buildings. Non-compliance will trigger enforcement actions and potential penalties, a significant shift that has remained enforced since the early phase of rollout. This clarity is expected to accelerate certification activity. The rise of mandatory energy efficiency plans One of the most impactful developments anticipated in the next cycle is the introduction of mandatory energy efficiency plans. After the first EPC is issued, building owners will be expected to develop structured improvement plans, use measured data to guide interventions, use smart meters to profile data, demonstrate progress during the next certification round, and incorporate EPC outcomes into broader sustainability strategies. This aligns South Africa with global best practice and will encourage long-term operational shifts rather than one-off compliance. Quality assurance: a new layer of oversight To uphold credibility and national consistency, the DEE is set to formalise a network of Quality Assurers (QAs). These independent parties will review completed EPCs, validate inspection evidence, ensure correct application of methodologies, and identify any inconsistencies. Building owners and registered EPC professionals should note that QA services
connection ensures that, in the event of a fault, current has a safe path to dissipate. This protects both people and equipment. Poor or inadequate earthing is a silent risk. It doesn’t make noise, but when something goes wrong, the consequences can be devastating. Whether you’re wiring a home or a high-rise building, correct earthing isn’t optional. It’s the base layer of every safe system. Now consider that in a country like South Africa, where summer storms are fast, frequent, and often ferocious, lightning and surge protection must never be treated as
unseen essentials that do the heavy lifting, keeping people, property, and systems safe. Among these, earthing, lightning and surge protection, and the often-underappreciated world of cables and cable accessories, form the foundation of every reliable installation, according to Voltex. Let’s start with earthing. It’s not the most glamorous part of an installation, but it’s arguably the most important. A proper earth
Enquiries: www.voltex.co.za
Energy Performance Certificates: what comes next? By: Claudia A. Naidoo-Hedley, sustainability specialist and SANEDI-registered EPC professional A s South Africa continues to navigate the intersecting pressures of climate change, national energy constraints, These developments reflect significant progress since the mandate’s inception in 2020. Many organisations that once viewed EPCs as compliance-heavy now regard them as strategic tools for energy cost control, asset enhancement, and long-term operational planning.
checkbox; they represent a fundamental shift in how buildings are assessed, valued, and managed. Their broader long-term impact includes: 1. National energy security: EPC-driven improvements can significantly reduce 2. Capital investment and asset value: Better-performing buildings attract higher occupancy rates, lower utilities expenditure, and increasingly, preferential lending terms tied to green performance. markets move toward decarbonisation, South Africa’s EPC system provides a measurable link between environmental goals and building operations. 4. Skills development and sector growth: The EPC ecosystem, comprising engineers, auditors, architects, graduates, trade-skilled professionals, verification professionals, and demand on an already strained grid, supporting resilience and reducing operational risk. 3. Alignment with global climate commitments: As international sustainability specialists, continues to expand, contributing to national green economy growth. matured from an introductory compliance requirement into a central component of the national energy strategy. With clear deadlines, increasing enforcement, and stronger technical oversight, the next 12 to 24 months will define how effectively the country transitions toward more efficient, resilient, and future-ready buildings. The journey ahead requires collaboration among building owners, registered EPC professionals, public institutions, and regulatory authorities. However, the benefits, which include reduced operational costs, improved building performance, stronger national energy security, and alignment with global sustainability, are more than compelling. A turning point for SA’s built environment South Africa’s EPC programme has
and evolving global sustainability standards, the built environment stands at the centre of both challenge and opportunity. Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs), mandated for specific categories of buildings, have rapidly emerged as one of the country’s most influential regulatory instruments, propelling owners, operators, and institutions towards measurable energy responsibility. With the national deadline of 7 December 2025 having remained firm, the conversation is no longer about whether EPCs matter, but rather what comes next. Understanding EPCs EPCs are not unique to South Africa. Globally, EPCs form part of established energy transition frameworks across Europe, North America, Australia, and parts of Asia. Their purpose is universal: to provide an independently verified measure of a building’s energy performance, benchmark it against predefined thresholds, and make this information publicly visible to drive behavioural and operational improvement. South Africa’s EPC framework draws from the same international principles while integrating country-specific drivers, particularly unreliable energy supply, rising operational costs, and the urgent need to modernise the country’s commercial, institutional, and public-sector building stock. National progress: tracking South Africa’s EPC journey A key indicator of progress is the number of EPCs issued nationally. The South African National Energy Development Institute (SANEDI)’s EPC dashboard indicates the national baseline and shows the number of registered EPC professionals who have maintained their issuance presence in the industry, reflecting increased competence and the upskilling of more trained professionals. The regulatory environment has become clearer, supported by stronger guidance, standardisation, and alignment with the core principles of ISO 17020, SANS 1544:2014, and SANS 10400XA:2021, ensuring registered EPC professionals maintain independence, consistency, and technical accuracy.
EPC professionals and quality assurers as industry experts The EPC landscape depends heavily on technically skilled professionals who can interpret building profiles, review consumption data, perform site inspections, validate performance, and align findings with national standards SANS 1544:2014 and SANS 10400 XA:2021. Their responsibilities extend beyond simple certification; they act as interpreters of regulations and technical expertise, providing transparency to the public. Registered professionals need to undergo continuous training to keep pace with evolving methodologies, data requirements, and policy changes. As the next phase of the EPC framework unfolds, SANEDI and the Department of Energy and Electricity (DEE) will increasingly rely on these skilled professionals to ensure credible oversight. What comes next The initial rollout of EPCs focused on compliance and capturing the national baseline performance. The next phase will shift from “What is the building’s rating?” to “What must we do about it?” Several technical developments are expected to shape this transition: 1. Larger emphasis on data analytics: EPCs generate standardised datasets that allow building portfolios to be compared, segmented, and analysed. These insights reveal patterns of energy waste, opportunities for efficiency upgrades, performance anomalies requiring deeper investigation, and trends across building types and geographic regions. 2. ASHRAE-aligned energy audits: There is a growing need for ASHRAE-level audits, particularly for buildings scoring at the lower end of the rating scale (E, F, or G). These energy audits support identification of high-impact energy- saving interventions, lifecycle planning for equipment upgrades, creating awareness of how energy is used and distributed in a building, and cost-benefit modelling of retrofits. 3. Prioritisation through digital dashboards: Energy and sustainability dashboards are set to become mainstream tools that
Enquiries: www.saeeconfed.org.za
will come at an additional cost, and EPC project budgets will need to factor in this mandatory requirement going forward. South Africa’s energy future EPCs are more than a regulatory
SPARKS ELECTRICAL NEWS
JANUARY 2026
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